Evisceration with four anterior relaxing incisions and circumferential posterior sclerotomies with porous polyethylene orbital implants: an 8-year study

Novel use of an autologous scleral button graft to close the anterior defect in evisceration surgery

PURPOSE

To present an alternative evisceration technique with long-term follow-up data. This technique involves the insertion of an acrylic implant into a modified scleral shell which is closed using an autologous scleral graft.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of eviscerations performed in a district-general hospital in the UK. All patients underwent conventional ocular evisceration after total keratectomy. A full thickness scleral graft is harvested from the posterior sclera, using an internal approach, with an 8 mm dermatological punch. An 18-20 mm acrylic implant is placed into the shell, and the scleral graft is used to close the anterior defect. Demographic characteristics, implant size and type, and cosmetic results from pictures of all patients were recorded. All patients were invited for a review to measure motility, eyelid height, patient recorded satisfaction and complications.

RESULTS

Of the five patients identified, one had since died. The remaining four attended a review in person. The mean time between surgery and review was 48 months. The mean implant size was 19 mm. There were no cases of implant extrusion or infection. All four had a <1 mm asymmetry in measured eyelid height and ≥5 mm horizontal gaze motility. All patients self-reported "good" cosmesis. An independent assessment identified "mild asymmetry" in two cases and "moderate" in the other two.

CONCLUSION

Evisceration with this novel autologous scleral graft technique restores volume in the anterior orbit with good cosmetic results, and with no cases of implant exposure reported in this small case series. This technique should be compared prospectively to established techniques.

Outcomes and complications of evisceration with primary implant: an electronic medical record driven analytics of 1800 cases

PURPOSE

To describe the surgical outcomes and implant complications in 1,800 patients undergoing evisceration with primary implant.

METHODS

An Electronic Medical Record-driven analysis of 1,800 patients undergoing evisceration with primary implant between 2013 and 2019. Implant sizing was performed intra-operatively to place the largest implant without tension on the wound closure. Outcome measures included implant complications, prosthesis measurements, and incidence of a good aesthetic outcome. Good outcome was defined as <2 mm enophthalmos and grade 1 or less superior sulcus deformity with a custom ocular prosthesis.

RESULTS

Eighteen hundred eyes of 1800 patients were included. The mean age at surgery was 36 ± 21 years (median 32 years). Implants used were poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) in 1737 (97%) and porous polyethylene in 63 (3%) patients. Two-petal sclerotomy was performed in 1512 (88%) and four-petal sclerotomy in 165 (10%) patients. The mean diameter of the implant used was 19.35 ± 1.18 mm (median 20, range 10-22 mm). The implant extrusion rate was 3% (56) and implant displacement was seen in none. The mean prosthesis volume and thickness were 2.22 ± 0.67 ml (median 2, range 1-6.5 ml) and 6 ± 1 mm (median 6, range 2-9 mm). The mean difference in prosthesis projection on Hertel's exophthalmometer was 0.28 ± 1 mm (median 0, range 0-1 mm). Good outcome was observed in 93%. The mean follow-up period was 351 ± 386 days (median 194).

CONCLUSION

Evisceration with empirically selected primary orbital implant placement is associated with minimal implant complications and gives a good aesthetic outcome in 93% of the patients.

Risk factors for orbital implant exposure after evisceration: A case control study of 93 patients

Purpose:

The study aims to analyze risk factors for exposure of orbital implants after evisceration by comparison of patients with and without exposure of implants.

Methods:

This is a case control study in retrospective interventional case series; Group A- implant exposures after evisceration, Group B - Patients on follow up after evisceration with implant, without exposure, with matched duration of follow up. The sample size is calculated for a power of 80.

Results:

Group A comprised 32 sockets with implant exposure, presenting at median 18 months after surgery; Group B included 61 eviscerated sockets, without implant exposure, with follow up median 36 months. Odds Ratio (OR) was calculated; infected eyes -OR 1.3, P = 0.6; phthisical eye - OR 1.4, P = 0.43; multiple prior surgeries- OR 1.55, P = 0.33. Group A had 59.3% porous implants, Group B 55.7%, - OR 1.3, P = 0.5. Mean implant size in Group A 19.06 mm, Group B 18.78 mm- showed no statistical difference. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed no significant risk factor for exposure. Surgeon factor was not analyzed since there were multiple surgeons.

Conclusion:

This is the first study with calculated sample size, comparing implant exposure patients to a control group. Porous implant material, presence of infection, phthisical scleral shell, and prior surgery showed higher trend of exposure (Odds ratio >1), but none was conclusive. Larger size of implant was not a risk factor for exposure. Eliminating the role of several factors in implant exposure allows the surgeon to make better surgical choices: such as place an implant of appropriate size, of a material of surgeon's choice, and do primary placement of implant in a patient with evisceration post-corneal ulcer or endophthalmitis. A hypothesis and a recommendation is that meticulous attention be paid to surgical technique.

Combined retro-peribulbar and subconjunctival anesthesia for evisceration surgery

PURPOSE

To evaluate the efficacy of retro-peribulbar and subconjunctival anesthesia associated with intravenous sedation in patients undergoing evisceration and orbital implant placement.

METHODS

The charts of 217 patients who underwent evisceration with trans-scleral implant placement were reviewed. Midazolam and fentanyl were used for intravenous sedation. For local anesthesia, a combination of lidocaine with epinephrine and bupivacaine was injected into the retrobulbar, upper peribulbar, and subconjunctival areas. The intraoperative pain and need for supplemental anesthetic injection were recorded prospectively.

RESULTS

The surgery was performed with local anesthesia in 116 patients (53%) and with general anesthesia in 101 patients (47%). Patients were significantly older in the local anesthesia group than in the general anesthesia group (mean age, 59.9 years vs 45.2 years; P < .05). Supplemental retrobulbar anesthesia was required in 5 patients (4.3%). Transition to general anesthesia was required in 1 patient (0.9%) due to severe anxiety. Orbital hemorrhage developed after retrobulbar injection in 1 patient (0.9%), but did not preclude performing evisceration.

CONCLUSIONS

Combined retro-peribulbar and subconjunctival anesthesia with intravenous sedation can provide safe and effective intraoperative analgesia for evisceration surgery with trans-scleral implant placement.

Effect of Optic Nerve Disinsertion During Evisceration on Nonporous Implant Migration: A Comparative Case Series and a Review of Literature

AIM

To determine whether evisceration with optic nerve disinsertion and nonporous implant placement increases the risk of implant migration.

METHODS

This was a single-center, retrospective consecutive comparative interventional case series including patients undergoing evisceration with nonporous implant between January and December 2014. Patients were grouped into 2 groups: group I where the optic nerve was not disinserted (n = 37) and group II with optic nerve disinsertion (n = 50). Implant migration was assessed clinically and on patient photographs. Migration was subclassified as decentration that did not affect the prosthetic outcome and displacement that affected the prosthetic outcome. The secondary outcome measures were the mean implant diameter, volume of the custom ocular prosthesis, and implant-related complications like exposure and extrusion between the 2 groups.

RESULTS

At a mean follow up of 12.5 months, none of the sockets in group I and 3 (6%) sockets in group II (p = 0.35) had evidence of implant decentration. There were no cases of implant displacement in both groups. The mean implant diameter in group I was 16.97 mm ± 0.65 mm and in group II 19.2 mm ± 0.83 mm (p = 0.0001). Implant extrusion was not different between the 2 groups. The mean custom ocular prosthesis volume in group I was 3.86 ml ± 0.52 ml and in group II 2.50 ml ± 0.68 ml (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of nonporous implant migration due to optic nerve disinsertion is not statistically or clinically significant in evisceration with optic nerve disinsertion, allowing placement of a larger implant and fabrication of a custom ocular prosthesis with an ideal weight.

Four petals evisceration for atrophia bulbi

Purpose:

To study the use of four petals evisceration in atrophia bulbi to allow insertion of large orbital implant.

Materials and Methods:

An interventional case series. All cases were atrophia bulbi. The axial lengths (AL) of atrophic and contralateral normal eye were measured. It was planned to use implant 3 mm smaller than AL of the contralateral normal eye. Four petals evisceration was used in all cases.

Results

Twenty cases were included. The mean age was 27.08 ± 16.07 years. The mean axial length (AL) of atrophic eyes was 16.97 ± 1.42 mm. In 75% of cases, the planned implant was inserted. In all cases, the implant diameter was larger than AL of atrophic eye by a mean of 2.57 ± 0.64 mm. The AL of atrophic eye did not affect the implant size. The mean follow-up period was 22.4 ± 10.1 months. Implant exposure was not recorded in any case. Volume deficiency was recorded in 2 cases (10%).

Conclusions:

Four petals evisceration facilitated the use of suitable sized implant in atrophia bulbi with minimal complications.

Scleral shield: primary results of a new surgical technique in augmenting porous orbital implant protection

PURPOSE

To evaluate the value of using an additional scleral shield in providing further protection of inserted Medpor® implants in eviscerated globes.

METHODS

This was a prospective interventional case series that included 30 patients with blind and/or disfiguring globe that warranted evisceration. Cases with intraocular masses, retained intraocular foreign bodies, as well as secondary ball implantation were excluded. All patients underwent regular evisceration with porous polyethylene ball (Medpor®) implantation. The sutured wound was further covered by scleral patch graft followed by closure of Tenon capsule and conjunctiva in separate layers. Patients were evaluated for implant exposure and all of them completed at least 4 years of follow-up.

RESULTS

The study involved 26 male and 4 female participants with age ranging from 16 to 65 years (mean 40.74 ± 15.86 years). The Medpor sizes varied from 16 to 22 mm in diameter. It is a simple extra step with no reported exposure, infection, or granulomas during the 4 years of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Scleral shield is a simple surgical technique that provides an extra layer of autogenous tissue to cover inserted orbital implant following evisceration with promising results in preventing their exposure.